Lost Concerns
'The Lost As a Culture' A culture based around the family and ensuring its continued survival as a whole through its connections to others of its kind, The Lost’s focus on continued survival despite the odds and their reverence for the determination that brought them to this through a willingness to always be ready for the unexpected has given the culture a unique flavour on the civilisations preference in terms of clothing and armament. In terms of this preference, on a broad basis, the average family member of the lost favours hard wearing materials that fit well, making their near constant nomadic lifestyle easier with comfortable clothing that lasts well, that also allows for modifications to be made or added to whilst on the move with little effort. With regards to armour, they prefer lighter materials that work well in layers or when combined with pre-existing constructions to again facilitate there near constant travelling as well as allowing for the maximum protection at the minimum of material investment. In terms of the difference between the two most common roles in lost families, being that of Boundsmen and tradesmen , there is a divide between the two paths. Boundsmen favour most extensive armour use, as befitting their role as the protectors of the family, this armour is a mixture of home craft pieces, restored ballistics vests and any other armour the individual finds of use mixed with additional bandoleers of pouches; for carrying extra weapons, ammo or other useful equipment, that clips into their armour, so impeding movement as little as possible. Tradesmen however favour more comfortable clothing, which whilst still focussed on impeding movement as little as possible, still lends them an air of respect through the inclusion of a prominent colour associated with their family, and the incorporation of their finer items into their clothing, be they trinkets or weapons as befitting their more senior position with the family. In regards to armour tradesmen tend to incorporate their armour into the leg and arm coverings, usually only wearing chest pieces for formal occasions or when family tradition demands. OOC Definition Cloaks, Leather arm pieces, modified ballistic vests, Modified webbing, Persian-esk styled clothing, minimalistic clothing (maximum usage out of the minimal of clothing), military scarfs, nomadic styled clothing or armour, Pouch belts, Bandoleers, head scarfs, Equipment Belts, Sheathes, Patched armour or clothing, Cargo Puttees are all acceptable Kit for Lost characters. Each characters clothing and kit will feature a prominent colour that relates to their family and a family symbol, but apart from that their kit is very individualistic in how they each cope with carrying their equipment and kit on their nomadic paths. Prominent Colours Varies from Family to Family Iconic Clothing Head Scarfs (Colour dependant on family association), Armoured Cloaks, Personalised survival Kit 'Cultural Concerns' The lost’s concentration on their family and the continued survival of it has centralised their primary thoughts around these two key areas. Their family’s existence provides the lost with their future and connection to their heritage as well as their culture as a nation. As such their main issues concentrate around the protection of their family and its values, along with the defence of their past from the present. In regards to the first of these, the lost’s every advancement in terms of fortunes, supplies and continued survival as well as their connection to their past comes from their extended family. The continued survival of this comes as the foremost concern of every lost, and as such they continually strive to make sure that every member of their family has enough to eat, enough medical supplies, enough ammunition as well as everything else they could require. In this they take a cautious view of anyone they deal with outside of other families, but when in the situation when they encounter traders from foreign cultures that cut them deals, or offer them recurring support on necessary supplies their culture allows them to show the greater side of their culture, of their hospitality and generosity as a people as well as their wrath when they find those they consider friends under threat. However on the other end of this, those they find that have lied to them, or enacted against them in some fashion find themselves’ closed off permanently from that family, and soon after from other families connected to the original point of contact. The Lost are not a people of violent retribution, but quiet hostility towards those they view as problems or untrustworthy, and as such these individuals or groups find themselves stalked by the younger boundsmen of a family, haunted in a fashion as a constant warning and reminder of their actions. In some cases some boundsmen take this to the next stage of vandalising a key item of worth as a more unsettling warning that their name is blackened with their lost. Alongside this is the lost’s concern with protecting their heritage, they see this as their one connection as a whole people to one another and to their origins after the great betrayal. Any additional information surrounding their origins that hasn’t been written down or recorded somewhere by a family that is brought to the lost is welcomed with celebration and thanks to the individual or group responsible for its return. Extra information on their origins and the Great nomad themselves is regarded as a closely guarded icon of the lost’s beliefs. If this exact same information is put at risk, or is disrespected then the lost take a rather drastic view of this individual, if able they will bring them before the lost’s elders who in private ‘re-educate’ them about their beliefs. If it’s a group, the lost take a more sublte approach but no less devious, the groups supplies lines often find themselves under siege, or their own family put under a campaign of harassment and psychological terror, no physical harm comes to them but the mental damage acts as a permanent warning to learn respect. In terms of military actions and concerns, the lost’s only real major concern focuses on the refuge’s protection and as such enact their more militant families coordinate to form lapping patrols on the approaches to refuge in order to serve as the unseen guardians of the lost’s adopted home land. As such when on the defensive the lost favour unpredictability and guerrilla tactics, lashing out with precise strikes and lone snipers with pitfalls to ensnare over confident units to their deaths before disappearing and setting the next trap and ambush, slowly but gradually wearing the enemy down and hammering their morale whilst the lost minimise their losses. On the offence they utilise their nomadic lifestyles to launch under predicted attacks from unexpected angles, redeploying from position to position with lighting speed that leads the enemy facing back to back in order to defend from their probing attacks, at this point the main lost force smashes the now immobile force from both sides to crush them together and break them, in this manner the lost have defended the refuge for 300 years.